When You're Gone
by xXx A Little Fall of Rain xXx
Summary: Brooke's world fell apart the day Dean died, what was she supposed to do without him? She was sure they were going to be together forever... how could she move on with her world in tatters? Bram friendship and Brean love! Some bad language and minor smut


**_Disclaimer; I own nothing!_**

* * *

_Lieutenant Dean Winchester – Killed in action._

Brooke must spend hours of every day reading that bloody letter and those words over and over trying to absorb their meaning. But no matter how hard she tried she just felt nothing, numb… in some ways she preferred it that way.

The night she had received the dreaded phone call and the letter telling her that he wasn't coming back all of her friends cried… all of them… even Nathan and Lucas… they had spent weeks trying to get her to talk about how she was doing, what she was feeling. But what were the right words to say when your soul mate is gone?

It's been a month and a half now, six months since she last saw him… and all of her friends have given up on trying to get her to open up, all adopting the attitude of she'll come to us when she needs us. That's not to say that they don't still grieve but they were all able to move on… he wasn't the other half to any of them… he was just their friend… but to Brooke… he was her world.

She lifted her head from the table top and saw her friends dancing on the dance floor all wrapped up tightly in the other's arms, Peyton was wearing a store bought wedding dress as Brooke hadn't made anything since she received the news, and she was smiling widely at Lucas. While Nathan and Haley were whispering sweet nothings to each other and all Brooke wanted to do was scream at the top of her lungs but of course she didn't.

Instead she bought her eyes back to the table top and let out a broken hearted sigh while starting at her still worn wedding band her mind flashing back to her own wedding day… the happiest day of her life… even if it hadn't been what she had always imagined.

_Flashback_.

_April 16__th__ 2004._

"_Do you Dean Winchester take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the vicar asked in a thick Spanish accent and Dean smiled at her with such intensity that it made her heart flutter._

"_I do."_

"_Do you Brooke Penelope Davis take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" he asked and she nodded while a tear slipped down her face._

"_Yes." She choked out and he looked impatiently to the vicar for permission to kiss his wife._

"_I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride." He said and Dean pulled Brooke to him and crushed her against his chest and kissed her fiercely on the lips, he gathered her upwards into his arms and she let out a small squeal of delight as her feet left the beaches sandy ground, she wrapped her legs round his waist and he placed his hands under her ass to support her all the while his lips still moving slowly with hers._

"_The girls are going to be so pissed when we get back." She giggled against his lips and he smirked knowing full well that Peyton and Haley were on a full blown wedding planning high, his and Brooke's quiet ceremony on the beach wasn't going to go down too well… but who cares it was right for them and anything that made Brooke smile like this was never a bad thing._

"_Just blame it on me." He said before kissing her sweetly and she chuckled._

"_I can't do that!"_

"_Why not they already hate me?"_

"_No they don't! Well Haley doesn't anyway." She said and he smiled knowing full well that Brooke's best friend (if you can call her that) Peyton really didn't like him._

"_Baby I don't care, they can talk all the shit about me they want… I'm in the army… I can take it!" he said pulling a mock serious face (very similar to the one he used at work) and Brooke felt herself grow weak at the knees… he was too hot for his own good._

_ She leaned forwards and kissed him winding her arms round his neck tightly and he moaned as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. He walked them backwards towards the sea inwardly laughing at how Brooke hadn't even noticed yet. As soon as the cold water hit his ankles her eyes widened and she tried to wriggle away from him he spun them round and lifted her from him and chucked her body into the freezing water causing her to scream in shock. _

_He stood there laughing as she spluttered before she pounced towards him and he knew that she was going to try and get him wet… something he really wasn't keen on. He sprinted away down the beach cursing at how quick his wife was at running…_

XOXO

"Brooke?" she was jolted out of her happy memories from the past when she saw Dean's younger brother watching her worriedly; "Are you ok honey?" he asked and she shrugged.

Sam was the only one in her life that she had even halfway let in and even that hadn't happened on purpose, he had walked in when she was smashing up her and Dean's apartment causing him to grab her and pull her to him and hold onto her tightly. She could remember even now how hard she had struggled… still so angry at everything but he hadn't let go… and eventually she had broken causing sobs to rip from her body leaving her a shaking sobbing mess. He had whispered soothing words to calm her down and she had fallen asleep in his arms.

And though she would never tell anyone but she still had extreme sobbing fits each night that nearly always ended up with her struggling for breath… she couldn't eat, sleep or think clearly… in fact the only thing she could do lately was clean, cleaning was something she could control and the results of it were satisfying.

"Brooke?"

"What?" she asked softly and he sighed before taking her hand squeezing her hand.

"You're thinking about him aren't you?"

"I always think about him." She said truthfully and he nodded understandingly, he had been incredibly close with his older brother. He stared at Brooke in concern as she appeared to be wasting away in front of his very eyes… she had always been thin but now she was scarily small. He doubted that she actually ate at all.

"I miss him." He said gently and she nodded her eyes refusing to meet his.

"Me too."

"But you know that he wouldn't want you doing this right?"

"I don't know what else to do… I'm so lost Sam." She whispered raising her eyes to meet his and he could see how terrified and blank her eyes were now and he shifted round and draped an arm round her small shivering body and cradled her close to him as though she were a small child who had lost its mother.

"Just take it a day at a time." He said encouragingly and she sighed heavily and closed her eyes.

"How could he leave me? He was my world and now he's gone…" she mumbled tiredly and Sam knew that that was all she thought about these days. It was like a broken record that played over and over in her head and he knew that one day it would drive her mad… he just hoped that she would let him help her before that happened.

He couldn't handle losing someone else he loved… not after Jess, his dad and now Dean.

XOXO

Haley James Scott swayed from side to side in her husband's arms knowing that she had probably never felt happier. Everything was perfect, this was her best friend's wedding and he was happy, her other friend was happy, her son was happy, her husband was happy. She let out sigh of contentment as she rested her head against his chest.

Her eyes roamed around the beautifully decorated room and they landed on Brooke's defeated slumped form and all the happiness Haley felt instantly vanished. She knew her friend as hurting right now and it killed her that she could do nothing to ease that pain… as if sensing her mood change Nathan looked down at her in concern.

"What is it?"

"Brooke." She said and her husband's eyes flicked to Brooke and a frown of worry and sadness appeared on his face.

"She's not doing well is she?" he asked and Haley shook her head.

"I think we screwed up by leaving her to it…"

"Yeah me too."

"What do we do?"

"I don't know." He said with a hint of desperation in his tone and she sighed before resting her head on Nathan's shoulder… she knew she would never cope without him… god knows how Brooke was doing… and here her friends were all leaving her to do it on her own…

"We need to be there for her…"

"And if she won't let us?"

"Then we make her." Haley said forcefully and Nathan nodded before pulling her closer to him, both of them thanking god that they still had each other.

XOXO

"Can you take me home?" Brooke whispered into Sam's shoulder and he nodded before standing and pulling her upwards doubting that she had the strength to do it herself.

"Do you want to say goodbye?" he asked softly but she shook her head no, she clearly wasn't interested in her friends who had paid her so little attention when everything about her aura was screaming that she needed help.

"Just take me home." She said and he took her hand and led her from the building to his car relieved that he hadn't driven the Impala today. The last time he had gone to get Brooke in that car she had refused to get in it pretty much screaming that it was Dean's car and that he was a heartless bastard for even thinking about driving it.

He helped her into the passenger side before walking round with a heavy heart and driving back to the house that his brother once lived in in companionable silence. Sam smiled thinking about how their house used to be, it was usually filled with laughter or those weird little arguments that Brooke and Dean used to have everyday… it was strange to think just how much livelier things were when he was alive, but it seemed that when Dean died Brooke died as well.

He pulled up outside the house and sighed when he saw all the curtains were closed and the mail stacking up outside the door. It was no exaggeration to say that Brooke wasn't coping… hell she wasn't even functioning!

"I'll walk you in."

"You don't have to."

"I know."

He wanted to, he needed to see what the inside of the house was like… if it was anything like he was fearing then he was going to have to do something about Brooke's living arrangements. He cursed himself for not checking on her sooner, he also cursed her friends for not bothering to check on her at all… Dean had been right to have his suspicions about them (even though he never mentioned that to Brooke he always felt that they took advantage of her).

They made their way up to the door and Sam scooped up all Brooke's mail and was relieved to see that most of them looked like condolence cards, or bank statements, nothing too important. She let them into the house, the rooms a thick darkness due to the curtains being closed. He watched as Brooke made her way upstairs wordlessly probably to change out of the dressy clothing.

Sam tugged on the collar of his shirt and loosened his tie before closely inspecting the house and letting out a growl of pain, grief and annoyance. It wasn't what he had expected however, he had thought he would find dirty plates, rubbish overflowing and general unhygienic conditions, instead everything he saw was immaculate… too clean… it was as though Brooke didn't stop cleaning… and he could tell it was a way of her grief manifesting as she never normally used to be like that.

He walked towards the fridge and nodded when he saw no food in there at all and knew that his assumption about her not eating was spot on. Letting out a sigh he made his way up the stairs and knocked on door to the room where she and Dean used to sleep only to find her coming out of the spare room door, he raised an eyebrow in confusion and she shrugged.

"I can't sleep in there." She said simply.

"Why not?"

"Because it's me and Dean's room… he's not here now so I can't sleep in there." She said and he rubbed his face tiredly knowing that that must be the mentality that dominated her life now.

"I want you to come and live in my house for a while." He said and she stared at him in shock.

"Why?"

"Because you're not coping… and you're definitely not eating… so I just want you to come and spend some time at my house until you're back on your feet."

"I'm fine." She said firmly but he shook his head.

"No you aren't, and that's perfectly understandable… but I'm not going to let you do this alone anymore."

"I'm not going."

"Why not?"!

"Because I can't leave this house! Don't you see this is me and Dean's house… we bought it after we got married because we couldn't live in that tiny flat anymore… it's all I have left of him! And if I go now then I lose it… I lose another piece of him and I can't… I just… I can't…" she trailed off with a sob and Sam walked forwards and pulled her into a tight hug.

"You won't ever lose his love Brooke; he loved you more than anything in the whole world." Sam said as he rocked her and her sobs continued, he maneuvered them downwards so that he was sat on the floor with her curled round him.

"I don't know what to do…" she gasped into his chest between painful bouts of crying.

"You have to move in with me and let me help you is what you need to do." He said fiercely and she looked into his eyes before nodding slowly.

"Thank you." She said and but he shook his head, no thanks were necessary, he was only doing what he had promised his big brother he would.

_Flashback._

"_Sammy…" Sam looked up and smiled at the sight of his brother in his full uniform all prim and proper, for a guy as carefree as Dean it was quite a strange sight._

"_Hey man, what's with the uniform?"_

"_Had a meeting."_

"_And?" Sam asked holding his breath in hope that his brother wasn't going to be shipped out to Afghanistan._

"_I'm being shipped out next week." He said softly, his voice filled with regret and worry, but Sam knew it wasn't for himself but Brooke._

"_Wow…"_

"_I know." He said clapping him on the back and Sam tried to keep his emotions in tact but it was difficult knowing that his big brother was doing his job… something that could potentially lead to his death._

"_Does Brooke know yet?" he asked softly and Dean rubbed his face tiredly before shaking his head._

"_No… and I'm really not looking forward to telling her." He admitted as he looked out into the backyard where all their friends were gathered, including Dean's wife. He watched as Dean's normal careful tight face relaxed into a smile at the sight of her._

"_It's not going to be easy for her is it?"_

"_No… she'll be crushed." He said as a hurt look crossed his face; "Which is why I need you to look out for her until I'm back." He said with such a confidence that Sam nearly believed that Dean was going to Disneyland not to war._

"_Of course I will." He promised but Dean shook his head._

"_I'm serious Sammy; I need to know that my wife is going to be ok…"_

"_I'll look after her I promise… you don't need to worry." He assured and Dean's posture relaxed as though he could properly breathe and Sam smiled at just how much Dean loved Brooke. He prayed that one day he would find someone to love that much._

"_Hey gorgeous." Both men looked up to see Brooke staring at Dean with a wide smile and he opened his arms to her and she instantly slipped into them; "Mmmm… I love it when you wear your uniform." She purred and Dean smirked before leaning forwards and whispered something in Brooke's ear that caused her to blush before nodding in agreement._

"_If you have sex in my house just be sure to burn anything you've touched…" Sam said in amusement before walking away leaving Brooke and Dean in a heavy lip lock._

XOXO

"What exactly do you mean when you say they think that I'm dead?" Dean Winchester asked his boss who shifted uncomfortably. Dean had been told to report to his field officer before his plane left; he and his fellow soldiers were finally being sent home after what felt like years of being here.

"It seems that there was a mix up on the admin side."

"How did this happen?"

"There was a man called Denny Winch on your regiment right?"

"Yes he was killed… the tank he was in got hit and it exploded..." Dean winced at the memory of trying to free him and several other officers from the flaming tank; needless to say he had failed… in fact had one of his men not pulled him away then he probably would have been fatally wounded.

"Denny's face was disfigured and due to the similarities in your build and hair color and names and regiment… the wrong information was given." He said and let out a sigh when he saw the unimpressed look on Dean Winchesters face, he clearly wasn't happy with what had gone… and who could blame him? It was a shit situation… he just wished he was better at handling the domestics.

"What are they incompetent?!"

"Now Dean I realize that this is upsetting."

"Upsetting?! My whole family think that I'm dead! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"I'm sorry." He said weakly but Dean shook his head.

"You call them right now, and you tell the truth, and then you tell my wife and my little brother that I'm coming home." He growled and his boss, the man with years of military experience actually gulped. There was no denying it Dean Winchester was one scary man when he wanted to be.

"And if they ask… you tell them who's to blame." He said before storming from the room and making his way out of the building.

He had thought it had been really bizarre when Brooke and Sam had stopped writing to him over the past month, but he guessed that their letters were just getting lost or whatever… never had he once imagined that they were grieving over him. He just prayed Sammy was keeping to his word and was looking after his wife until he came home.

God the thought of Brooke in pain thinking about his death nearly killed him, he loved that woman so much that it actually hurt… and to think that she had thought he had left her alone in the world – something he promised he would never ever do…

_Flashback._

_ He didn't know how he knew she was awake, he could just feel it. He supposed that was what happened after spending so long with her he was just so in tune to her moods… that and the fact that her tiny hand was tracing patterns on his bare chest. He bought his hand up to cover hers and stop her movements before rolling round to face her._

"_What's wrong babe?" _

"_Nothing." She replied with a long sigh and he smiled at her pathetic attempt at pretending she was fine._

"_Tell me…"_

"_I'm just thinking."_

"_About what?"_

"_Us." She mumbled and he shifted his body up and looked at her carefully._

"_What about us? You going to talk to me about it?" he said softly and she sighed before looking at him properly._

"_I don't know… it's just things are going really great aren't they?" she asked him unsurely and he nodded encouragingly and she licked her lips before continuing; "What if we ruin it?"_

"_What makes you think that we're going to ruin it?"_

"_It's never worked out before." She said quietly and he caught a glimpse of the scared insecure girl that was underneath all the layers._

"_Well this time you're with me and let me tell you something Brooke." He said and gestured for her to come closer to him which she did; "I plan on sticking round for a really long time."_

"_Really?"_

"_Really, and you want to know something else?"_

"_Ok."_

"_I feel good about me and you, we're going to last… you wait and see." He said cockily and she bit her lip and stared at him unsurely._

"_But what if you leave?"_

"_Do you seriously think I'm ever going to leave you?" he asked incredulously and watched as she slowly nodded; "Never, I may get sent away as part of my job but no matter where I go I'm still going to be your guy."_

"_You really mean that?" she asked and he kissed her soundly._

"_I'll never leave you Brooke Davis, as long as you promise not to leave me." He said and she grinned. _

"_You have yourself a deal Mr. Winchester." _

_He leaned over and kissed her once more and kissed her sweetly on the lips, he felt her arms pull him on top of her and smiled against her lips… yes he really could really see him staying with Brooke Davis for a long time to come._

XOXO

Sam smiled lightly as he watched Brooke potter about in the back garden, she had been staying with him for just over three weeks now and the changes had been slow but noticeable. She now ate three full meals a day, had only one crying outburst a day and though she rarely left the house she spent most of her time in the garden where she had weirdly learned to love gardening.

He supposed it was something to do with planting a new life that made Brooke feel at peace… it was her giving something a new start in life, something that she felt she would never get again now that Dean had gone. She had lost the one thing that had made most sense to her and because of that she lost her way of living, and Sam honestly couldn't be prouder of how well she was coping lately, he just hoped that if Dean was watching over them that he would be proud of not only Brooke but himself too… because that's something that meant a lot to Sam, especially now that Dean was gone.

The sound of the phone ringing cut into his thoughts and he tore his eyes from Brooke who was pulling away at the weeds in the garden before making his way towards the phone. He grabbed the receiver and bought it to his ear; "Hello?"

"Is that Sam Winchester?" a very formal voice asked and Sam instantly frowned, a feeling of mistrust bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

"It is."

"Mr. Winchester this is Field officer Marcus Falster, I'm calling about your brother Lieutenant Dean Winchester."

"What about him?"

"I'm sorry to tell you that there was a mix up."

"What do you mean a mix up? Dean died two months ago."

"I'm afraid that was the mix up… the wrong information was passed onto us as we acted on what we were told." The man said awkwardly and Sam frowned wondering what the hell this guy was calling about.

"What are you talking about?" Sam growled bluntly.

"Lieutenant Dean Winchester is alive and his regiment has been relieved… he's on his way home to you." He said and Sam nearly dropped the phone in shock.

"Not dead?"

"That's right."

"Coming home?"

"Yes…"

"I don't understand… we were told he was dead."

"I'm afraid another young man with similar initials and looks was identified as Dean and we acted on that information."

"Wrong information." He said blankly looking at Brooke and thinking about everything they had gone through because of wrong information?

"Wrong information." The man confirmed; "I really am very sorry for any pain you might have experienced over this."

"Where's Dean now?"

"Last I heard he was on his way home…"

That was it, the phone slipped from Sam's hands and he fell to the ground and let several rounds of sobs – muffled by his hands – get the better of him. He cried for everything that he had thought he had lost, all the pain that he had experienced all because an assumption was made that tore their family apart… but most of all he cried with relief… his big brother was safe and coming home to them…

XOXO

Dean hung up the phone and let out a heavy sigh, he had been phoning home for the past few hours but always to receive no reply… and then the few times he had tried Sammy's number it had been engaged, he let out a huff of frustration more than ready to be in his wife's arms again.

A harsh swerve of the cab bought Dean out of his frustrated thought process, he looked up and saw that they were turning into his street and let out a small smile of excitement, here it was… the moment he had been wishing for and thinking of for the past seven months.

He paid the taxi driver and climbed out of the car taking his bag full of stuff and made his way up to the door and slipped his key inside. Instantly he frowned… the house felt cold… unlived in… and too clean… he dumped his bag on the sofa and made his way round his anxiety growing more and more by the second.

"Brooke?! Baby are you here?" he called out only to be greeted by a deafening silence. He was starting to worry, it didn't take a genius to work out that she hadn't' been here in a while… he pushed back the anxiety he was feeling praying that soon enough he would be by her side and kissing her perfect full lips.

He made his way up the stairs and looked into their room and rubbed his face when he it dawned on him that this room seemed even more unused than the rest of the house. There were signs of Brooke having lived in here as it had her clothes and accessories spread out on the floor and the bed was unmade and the general clutter. But again it felt like she hadn't lived in here for months and he had a worrying feeling in his gut that told him she hadn't stepped foot in their room since she had been told he was dead. He walked from the room and saw that the only place with signs of someone living here was the spare room…

He let out a defeated sigh as he sank down onto the soft mattress and lay back and closed his eyes as Brooke's scent engulfed him… he looked to the messy bedside table and smiled slightly… that was his wife, unbearably messy to the point of annoyance not some meticulous neat freak.

_Flashback._

_ Dean wandered throughout out the house in search of his wife who had promised that they would be leaving the house exactly forty minutes ago. He supposed it was a good thing he had told Brooke that their reservation was an hour earlier than it really was so by his watch they still had another half an hour left. He made his way into their room and sighed heavily at the sight… it looked like a clothes bomb had hit it._

"_Bloody shoes." He grunted as he tripped over a pair causing him to land badly on his ankle, he walked towards Brooke's walk in closet and chuckled at the sight of his wife, who was down on all fours searching for something, her lacy black underwear clad bottom wiggling in the air. _

"_Take a picture it'll last longer…" she grumbled and he smiled._

"_Whatcha looking for babe?"_

"_My black dress."_

"_This one?" he asked pointing to the one hanging on the closet door and she stared at him like he had grown another head before rolling her eyes in exasperation and turning back to searching through the drawers; "What's wrong with this one?" he asked and she let out a growl of frustration._

"_It's got the wrong straps, I'm looking for the halter straps with encrusted sequins not that…" she trailed off in disdain and Dean blinked not understanding a word of what she had said but understanding full well that this black one wasn't the right one at all._

"_Well where did you last have it?"_

"_If I knew that I wouldn't be searching for it!" she snapped and he sighed before nodding and began looking through the shelves just to try and hurry the process up. _

"_Do you really need all of these clothes?" he asked after searching through the third rack of clothes and she let out a muffled noise of offence before standing up, placing her hands on her hips and fixing him her best glare._

"_Are you serious?!" she demanded and as ridiculous as it sounded he (a lieutenant in the army) genuinely flinched. His wife was bloody terrifying when she got going, he took a step towards her warily and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and let his fingers stroke the silky soft skin there._

"_I'm sorry it was a stupid thing to say." He murmured as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and she nodded while biting her lip._

"_It was;" she leaned up and pecked him on the lips before pushing him off of her; "Now back to work mister… we have a reservation to make!"_

"_Come on babe we have some time." He said as he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms round her waist and pressed a kiss onto the curve of her neck causing her to tilt it to one side and he kissed his way up and nuzzled it slightly._

"_Deeeaaannnn…" she whined and he chuckled._

"_Fine I'll help you look… but you so owe me."_

"_I'll make it up to you later."_

"_You better." He said kissing her neck once more before turning round and hunting for this black dress that was apparently perfect… he shook his head at his wife's passion for clothes… something he couldn't understand at all but deep down… underneath all of the complaining he knew damn well that he wouldn't change her or them for the world._

_..._

After thinking about her for just under five minutes Dean let out a huff and jumped off of the bed and made his way down the stairs quickly. The need to have Brooke in his arms right now was unbearable, deciding that the first place he would go was Sammy's praying that she was there… god he wanted to see her right now and when he finally had he was going to keep her close to his side and never let go again.

XOXO

Brooke blinked at Sam unbelievingly… what was this? Some kind of sick joke… how could he say that to her after she had been grieving for so long? No… this had to be a joke, Dean couldn't be alive… he was gone… they had told her he was dead, they can't just take back those heartbreaking words… how did she know that there hadn't been another mix up?

"I know it's a lot to take in Brooke, are you ok?"

"I don't believe this." She muttered and Sam nodded in agreement.

"I know but it's true, he's coming home."

"He's coming home." She repeated quietly and he nodded and rubbed her back, she knew that he was trying to soothe her and help her accept this but it didn't do anything but agitate her… her mind was whirring at a hundred miles an hour trying to process what he had just told her but it wasn't happening.

"I have to go…"

"Where are you going Brooke?" he asked in alarm but she brushed past him and headed for the door.

"I need some air… I'll be back soon." She gasped before leaving the house and making her way down the road trying to make sense of everything… was this real? Was he holding strong on his promise that he would come home to her?

_Flashback._

"_My last bag is all packed." He told her as he stepped into the room, she nodded slightly but continued to look out of the window for fear of breaking and making this harder on him; "Babe, come here." He ordered and without a moment's hesitation she bolted into his arms._

"_I don't want you to go." She whispered against his chest and she felt him sigh heavily before rubbing her back soothingly._

"_I know, and I don't want to go… but I'll be back before you know it."_

"_You don't know that for sure though?"_

"_Yes I do… I'm coming home to you Brooke, no matter what."_

"_But what if something happens to you and you don't come home?" she rambled desperately as her fears poured out, they were quickly cut off by Dean's lips sweetly pressing against hers._

"_I'm coming home to you… never doubt it." He said firmly and she sniffed feeling all of her uncertainties melt under his intense passionate gaze._

"_You really mean that?" she asked with a hiccup and he nodded before resting his forehead against hers and staring deeply into her eyes._

"_I will come home to you, I will always come home to you, I promise." He said and she let out a sigh when his lips pressed gently against her own again praying to god that this wouldn't be the last time she would get to be in his arms and feel his lips against hers._

Her pace quickened into a half run half walk as she desperately tried to escape the grief and hope that seemed to be tearing her heart to pieces… she knew as soon as she stopped she would break and she was determined that that wouldn't happen… she couldn't let that happen… if it did then it would probably kill her.

XOXO

Dean smiled slightly when he turned into Sammy's street and saw the Impala sitting outside his brothers house proudly, god he had missed that car… he paused for a moment and admired it's beauty deciding that he would need to examine her properly later to see if any damage had been done… right now he needed his wife.

"SAMMY!" he yelled loudly and seconds later the front door swung open and his little brother stared at him in disbelief before grinning widely and jumped towards him and the two brothers embraced tightly.

"God you son of a bitch! Don't you ever play dead again! You hear me?" Sam demanded and Dean chuckled before nodding.

"Loud and clear, how you been?"

"We thought you were dead man…"

"I know… I went to the house…" he said his tone filling with worry (a worry that was deepened when he saw the look on Sam's face); "Is she here?"

"She wasn't coping so I moved her in with me about a month ago… I only found out about you being alive this morning and when I told Brooke she ran out of the house, I was just on my way to look for her."

"When was this?" he demanded and Sam paused in thought.

"About ten minutes ago."

"What way did she go?" he asked while his heart thudded loudly and painfully… she was so close now it was almost torturous. Sam nodded his head in the direction Brooke went and Dean sent him a grateful glance before taking off in that direction knowing instantly where she would be.

He didn't know where the sudden burst of energy had come from but here he was pretty much sprinting to where Brooke would be. God he was literally aching to have her in his arms now… he had missed her so much and now that she was within arms reach it heightened his need for her tenfold.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw her standing there staring at the ocean, even though she had her back to him he could tell that she had lost weight, her posture told him that she was thoroughly defeated… that these past months had beaten the fight from her and now she was just tired.

He slowly made his way down the beach toward Brooke's shivering form and as though she could sense him her back straightened but she didn't turn around. He reached out and took her hand in his feeling a million sparks of electricity shoot through him, still she refused to turn and he could tell that she was fighting to keep it together. He gently lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly before turning it over and kissing her palm.

"Brooke." He said softly but received no response; she only hunched her shoulders inwards and a small sniff could be heard; "Look at me baby." He ordered softly and a small cry slipped through her lips.

"I can't." she gasped.

"Yes you can."

"No… you're dead… you can't really be here… it's all just a lie…" she said painfully and he sighed and walked round so that he was in front of her, his heart broke when he saw the pained look painted onto her beautiful face, her eyes were screwed closed tightly, he placed his hands on both of her cheeks and wiped away the trails of tears on her face before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers gently. God, he had missed doing this so much!

It took her a while to respond but his heart felt like it was going to explode when her tiny hands clung to the front of his t-shirt and lips parted slightly and he deepened the kiss desperate to taste as much of her as possible. He felt her legs buckle and she fell against him causing his grip around her to tighten as he was now the only thing holding her up.

"You're really really here?" she gasped breathlessly opening her eyes slightly as their lips separated and he nodded and sent her a huge smile; "This isn't just a dream or me going mad is it?"

"No… there really was a mix up and I really am here."

"You came home?"

"I promised I would didn't I?"

"Yes." She squeaked while staring at him like he was going to disappear any second.

"You still don't believe I'm here do you?" he asked with a small chuckle that masked the true anguish he was feeling deep down. Brooke shook her head no and he sighed; "What can I do?" he asked almost desperately and she shifted her body forwards and rested her forehead on his chest

"Just stay here… just stay here and don't leave me." She murmured so quietly that he almost missed it, he wrapped his arms round her tightly and pulling her as close as humanly possible, savoring the feel of her body on his.

XOXO

Brooke honestly didn't know how long they had spent there in each other's arms, after what felt like years of standing he had lowered them down onto the ground – never once letting go of her – and they had spent another million years holding each other while sitting.

"I've missed you so much." He breathed into her hair and another tear slipped down her cheek, she felt his arms tighten round her waist, she managed to nod her head still feeling like she had no control over anything right now.

She had been slowly coming to terms with never being in his arms again… and yet here they were, she didn't know if this was real or if she had finally cracked… and if she was honest she knew she would put her money on the last one. She couldn't trust this feeling that she had right now, it all felt too surreal to be actually happening.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked softly and she pressed her body further into his before letting out a breath.

"How this feels like a dream."

"I love you." He whispered before kissing the side of her head and that caused another set of tears to emerge.

"I love you too… so… so much…" she gasped out and he pulled her round and gently placed what felt like millions of gentle kisses everywhere he could, he gazed deeply into her eyes before leaning down and kissing her again.

She let out a shaky sigh against his lips slowly moving her lips with his… she finally felt safe and at home in a way that she could only feel when he was holding her. She buried her head into the crook of his neck and cried quietly… she knew that he didn't really get why she was such a mess, surely him being alive would call for a million and one celebrations… and of course it did, she just couldn't get past the fact that he wasn't dead.

"Everything's going to be ok now Brooke, I've got you." He said and she let out an unsteady breath, he placed his hand under her chin tilting her face upwards making him look at him; "I'm just so sorry that you've been hurting so bad and I haven't been here… but that's all changing now… you have my word."

"No more leaving?" she asked quietly and he nodded.

"No more leaving, from now on it's me and you, got it?"

"Sam can be in our group too." She added with a whisper of a smile and he grinned.

"Sammy's been looking after you huh?"

"Yeah… I wouldn't have coped without him."

"What about your friend's babe?"

"They weren't there."

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely though unsurprised… something deep down had always told him that Brookes' friends weren't as great as she made them out, that they didn't deserve the amount of loyalty she gave them… not after all the crap they had pulled on her in the past.

She sent him a weak smile before leaning up and rubbing her nose against his and then pressing her lips on his, she could feel his lips curving into a smile which in turn made her own lips twitch upwards. Soon enough their lips were a fraction apart as they smiled at each other, a giddy feeling of relief and happiness bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

God knows how long they stayed there before they were literally shaking with the cold, no part of them warm but somehow it didn't seem to matter. Brooke would have contentedly stayed there all night but Dean had insisted that they go home before they both caught some kind of chill, he grabbed the keys to the Impala and Brooke's heart nearly exploded when she saw Dean in the driving seat muttering about an 'IPod jack' and promising to make Sammy pay later.

She climbed into the car next to her husband who instantly leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her cheek before starting up the car. She couldn't believe that this was really happening, it felt like she was still sleeping or in a daze… she had prayed for this to happen so many times and now that it was actually happening she didn't know if she could believe it or not. All she knew was that whatever was happening right now she never wanted it to stop, she shifted round in her seat and watched Dean who was concentrating on driving and sighed… she finally had her world back.

XOXO

Dean Winchester has never been one to keep his opinions to himself, especially when it came to his wife… if there is something going on that's causing Brooke upset then there really isn't a choice in his mind… it has to be dealt with. And when he heard her state that her friends hadn't been there for her lately it had niggled away in his brain long after she had fallen asleep.

He glanced down at her and smiled while stroking one finger down her tearstained cheek, god he loved that woman more than he had ever loved anything in this whole miserable planet. To think that if it hadn't been for Sammy keeping his promise Brooke would have been alone nearly ripped Dean apart, he knew that unless he had some answers then he wouldn't be able to rest so he picked up the phone and dialed the number of the one man he knew he could trust.

It was weird how much he had missed his little brother – who often acted like the older sibling… maturity had never been that strong a trait for him. After probably the longest phone call he had ever made Dean let out a frustrated sigh, Sam had said that Brooke's friends just didn't know how to relate to her so they pulled back in hopes that she would come to them when she was ready… what the fuck were they thinking? Sometimes the selfishness of the people Brooke called her closest friends overwhelmed and stunned him.

He pressed a kiss onto Brooke's forehead and even though she was asleep he quietly mumbled that he was going to be back soon… he had to go and sort this out… he had never before been so disgusted by their actions – and they had done some pretty messed up things to Brooke before. He climbed into the Impala and let a small smile grace his lips at the feel of being back with his other true love.

It was ten to nine in the evening when he pulled up outside Nathan and Haley's and he let out a growl of irritation when he saw Lucas and Peyton's car there… so while Brooke was grieving and alone (or so they thought) they were hosting happy dinners… what a bunch of complete and utter waste of space they were… how could they be so inconsiderate to Brooke? Who had done so much for them in the past, who had always been there for them… it was beyond belief.

Anger and serious annoyance bubbled inside of him and he climbed out of the car and marched up to the door and pounded on it loudly. He heard the festivities inside stop and several incredibly polite voices say 'no don't get up I'll get it' so on and so forth until someone finally answered the door… if he hadn't been quite so pissed off he would have found the look on Lucas' face comical.

"Dean?" he breathed in shock causing the other three to gather round and stare at him open mouthed wonder.

"Is it really you?" Haley asked and he nodded.

"It is."

"But they said you were dead."

"A mix up, a young lad from my regiments details got switched with mine."

"I can't believe this! Brooke must be so happy." Peyton said with a huge smile and Dean resisted the urge to insult her…

"Actually she's the reason I came by, I just wanted to thank you guys." He said and they all stared at him with blank expressions.

"Thank us?"

"Well Brooke told me what you guys have been like while she was grieving…" he trailed off disapprovingly and they all looked down guiltily; "Exactly how little you guys have done for her… and were it not for Sam she would have been left to deal on her own."

"We didn't know if she wanted us there." Haley said shamefacedly and Dean shook his head.

"How could you even think like that, she thought I was dead, she needed you guys to keep her together but you all fucked off because what? It was a bit too uncomfortable for you?"

"That's not true!" Peyton said but one look from Dean silenced her.

"You know I've always thought that you were selfish people but part of me hoped that if Brooke ever really needed you you would come through…"

"We're sorry." Haley offered weakly but Dean shook his head angrily.

"Don't be… in fact the reason I'm here is to ask you to keep up the good work."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want you anywhere me and my wife from now on. You've showed me just what kind of people you are and after these past few months watching men die for a war they didn't even start the last thing I want to have to do is spend time with cowards." He growled before walking away leaving the four of them stood there in a mixture of shame, shock and guilt.

He climbed straight into his car and drove home feeling both angry and kind of upset, although he knew that he had done the right thing by cutting them out of their lives – they had seriously crossed the line by ignoring Brooke while she was grieving – it was still weirdly upsetting to cut ties with them as they had all been part of each other's lives for so long.

He let out a sigh wondering how he was going to tell Brooke about what he had just ordered of her 'friends'… after all she had admitted that they hadn't been there for her lately but then again when did them screwing her over ever stop her from wanting to be there for them. It was one of the most admirable (and most annoying) traits about his wife. He figured it would be best to talk it over with Sammy, after all Sam was always the one who actually thought with his brain… Dean on the other hand usually let his temper (and another certain part of his anatomy) do the thinking.

XOXO

Her heavy eyelids slowly fluttered open, still thick with sleep. She let out a large yawn before focusing on her surroundings, she expected to find herself in Sam's house after waking from an amazing dream where Dean was still alive but found herself feeling incredibly confused when she realized she was in her house, in her and Dean's room and in her marital bed with the sheets on Dean's side still faintly warm.

"Dean?" she whispered softly as she heard the front door bang shut, feeling the first prick of fear she climbed out of bed and made her way out of the room and stood at the top of the stairs and peeked downwards and caught a glimpse of her husband.

Her heart soared at the sight of him chucking his coat on to the banister in that careless manor he always did which always made her tell him off… but not tonight… tonight she simply smiled at the sight of the man she thought she had lost forever. But she hadn't, he was home, he had come back to her just like he always promised he would and she knew that she seriously owed someone upstairs for bringing her husband home safely.

"Hey husband." She said and couldn't help but laugh when she saw him jump violently in shock.

"Erm… wife of mine… why are you standing in the dark? It's late you should be sleeping."

"Me? What about you? Where've you been?"

"There was just something I needed to take care of."

"You know if I didn't trust you then that would sound mighty suspicious." She said and he rolled his eyes.

"Now are you going to tell me why are you standing in the dark?"

"I heard the door open so I came to see who it was." She explained and watched as he frowned.

"At this time of night? Jesus Brooke, it could have been a robber!"

"I figured it was you because you weren't here when I woke up… for a moment I thought it was a dream." She said softly and Dean made his way up the stairs and stopped a couple of stairs from the top so that their faces were exactly level.

"And then what happened?" he asked brushing the hair from her face and she smiled dreamily.

"I woke up and it was all real. Because you're back… you came home." She said proudly and he grinned at her and wrapped his arms around her waist; "And I was thinking that we should celebrate your homecoming…" she trailed off suggestively wiggling her hips against his body and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"You mean sex right?"

"Yes." She said with a laugh at the hopeful look on his face.

"Are you sure about this? It's not too soon or anything? I mean me coming home today and then this… are you sure it's not too much?" he rambled and she cut him off by pressing her lips on his, he pulled her flush against his chest.

"Now does that answer your questions or are you going to make me beg?"

"Hmmm… you begging me to have sex with you… that never gets old but you're in luck, I'm feeling generous."

"Well don't go to any trouble on my account." She said sarcastically and he smiled before climbing the last few steps, lifting her off of the ground and lifting her into his arms, she wrapped her legs around his waist and let out a sigh of contentment.

He carefully placed her down on the bed and she pulled him down on top of her and smiled as the feel of his hard body pressed her against the mattress… she couldn't believe how long it had been since they had done this, and it only really hit her now just how much she missed him.

Soon enough their clothes were shed and their bodies were joined again, Brooke felt tears build up in her eyes at how wonderful it all felt, his body on hers, his lips pressed hard against hers, him moving in and out of her… she never thought to have this again and yet here they were… and words just couldn't describe how it felt.

"I… love… you…" she gasped out as she reached her peak and he kissed her deeply continuing to move at a maddening pace that he soon exploded from.

"I love you too." He whispered into her damp hair, he kissed her swollen lips and traced patterns over her skin and watched as she slowly drifted back to sleep. There was no denying it, he, Dean Winchester was the luckiest god damn son of a bitch alive.

XOXO

_1 Year Later._

Brooke Davis Winchester was starting to feel the heat, the sun was boiling down on her and she literally felt like it was melting her skin… she longed to move to a shadier area but knew deep down that she was far too comfortable to move. She let out a feeble sigh and attempted to open her eyes before giving up and sinking her full weight back onto the sun lounger letting a content sigh slip through her lips as she did.

She wasn't exactly sure how long she stayed there not quite asleep and not quite awake but she didn't care, she felt perfect. It was only when she felt a pair of strong arms dripping wet from the pool wrap around her and pull her backwards so that she was hard pressed against his front did she open her eyes, the mixture of his cold wet body on hers caused both pleasure and annoyance, his right hand slowly began stroking her ridiculously large tummy and she groaned.

"I know I look like a cow but do you think you could not pet me like I'm an animal?" she asked and he chuckled.

"You don't look like a cow Brooke, you look incredible… I mean have you seen the size of your ti-"

"That's enough thank you." She cut him off and he grinned at her.

"You feel very hot babe, do you want to move into the shade?" he asked and she shrugged lazily.

"I do but I can't be bothered…"

"It's like five feet away." He said patiently and she nodded causing him to stare at her incredulously.

"Hey it's not my fault that your child is draining all the energy from me!" she hissed but her annoyance softened when she saw the look on Dean's face, nothing could make him smile like the mention of their unborn baby.

"How is my little one doing?" he asked and she nestled her face into the crook of his neck enjoying the cooling sensation she got from his still cold skin on her too hot skin.

"Ok… kicking the crap out of me though."

"Yeah it's definitely my baby then." He said with a smile and she shifted round and glared at him.

"Are you saying you want to be the one kicking me?" she asked and he looked at her clearly regretting what he had said.

"Oh did you say kick? I er… thought you said kiss…" he stuttered hopefully and she rolled her eyes.

"Smooth." She said sarcastically and he chuckled.

"I like to think so baby." He said stroking her stomach again and kissing her neck causing her to sigh contentedly as their baby began kicking again; "Hey little one, stop kicking your mother." Dean said softly into her tummy before kissing the area that had been kissed.

"Listen to your father bub." She said and he grinned before capturing her lips with his.

"We are going to be the best parents in the world." He said cockily and she giggled against his chest; "What are you laughing at?" he asked in mock offence and she shrugged.

"I'm just happy." She said as she bestowed a full on dimpled smile towards him; "Is that a problem?"

"No…it's all I ever wanted." He said truthfully before leaning down and kissing her deeply.

He had worried that things would never be this good again, Brooke had taken her friends treatment (and consequent abandonment) of her badly. It had nearly killed him when he had seen how hurt she had looked after he told her about warning them away… for a few house she had refused to speak to him but soon enough she was sobbing in his arms about how easily they had given up on her.

And yet here they were happy, pregnant, living in a new town with new friends… even Sammy had met a nice young girl and had settled nicely. Dean had found his calling working for the police and Brooke had opened a small shop selling all of her designs… when they had found out she was pregnant Dean reckoned it was probably the happiest he had ever been.

But since that day things only seemed to get better and better, Brooke's business had really taken off, he had been promoted, the work on their house had been finished – including a fully furnished room for the baby… something he literally couldn't wait for.

He looked down into Brooke smiling face and knew that no matter what happened in the future they would fine… no better than fine, they would be amazing because they loved each other and that really was the only thing that really mattered.

* * *

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